Deep Dive (July 14): 4 Iranians Charged in NYC Journalist Kidnap Plot

Tiffany Meier
7/14/2021
Updated:
7/14/2021

Democrats in the Senate say they’ve reached an agreement to spend $3.5 trillion on domestic programs. But the plan still faces obstacles before it gets to President Joe Biden’s desk. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the spending is in addition to the bipartisan bill on physical infrastructure. This money is for other Democrat spending priorities including healthcare, education, and climate change. Democrats plan to pass the bill without any Republican support. But with an evenly divided Senate and a slim majority in the House, any dissent could be fatal to their plan.

Federal authorities charged an Iranian intelligence officer and three alleged members of an Iranian intelligence network with plotting to kidnap an American journalist from New York. The intelligence officer allegedly hired private investigators to watch the Brooklyn journalist and her household members. It included a live high-definition video feed of the journalist’s home.

There’s widespread speculation that ransomware gang REvil has been knocked off-line after websites run by the ransomware gang suddenly became unreachable on Tuesday. REvil has collected tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments in return for restoring computer systems it’s hacked. In recent weeks, it claimed responsibility for a ransomware attack on U.S. IT firm Kaseya, affecting up to 1,500 businesses worldwide. It was unclear whether REvil’s disappearance was a momentary fluke or whether the hackers had been removed from the internet by someone else.

Tune into Deep Dive as we explore these topics and more.

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